Why the list? To show just how wide ranging the travel requirements can be for each of us individually. So that means there's a need for travel and transport systems to be able to provide for a disparate range of journeys - realistically with many of them involving changes of mode and connections along the way. And with good information too about the options available, how much each costs, and how to arrange it. More of my journeys that I would like have been made by car - it's the most flexible, often the fastest end to end, and there are few timing limits. BUT it burns up a lot of fuel (not green!), it can be tiring and enraging, it wastes time as I can't do things I want to (like read) as I travel, it can be expensive, and I've got to work out what to do with the car at the far end. And of course I'm fortunate enough to be fit enough to have a driving license, and well off enough to afford to run a car.

We're oft told that "Wiltshire is a rural county", and I've oft wondered what that means. The majority of the land area in Wiltshire is fields and woods - countryside - that's for starters. You'll find bats and badgers, foxes and deer, rats and other rodents ... but they don't need to travel. Staggeringly, over 70% of the population of Wiltshire live in the towns and City (and the percentage is higher if you include Swindon, which is postally still in Wiltshire). And if you look at travel-to-work, travel-to-shop, travel-to-learn, travel-to-healthcare, you'll find that the vast majority of journeys of over a mile are going to end in an urban area. Taking the under-30% of village and hamlet dwellers, you'll find a fair proportion of them in "strip development" villages that ribbon major roads - the Sells Greens, Potternes, Beanacres, Atworths and Semingtons of the county - so perhaps only 1 in 10 journey ends is where a car, taxi or other demand-responsive system is the only option. So ... "Wiltshire is a Rural County" really means "look we mustn't overlook this minority access issue that doesn't apply within cities", but it doesn't wash as a reason for NOT supporting transport within an urban area, and interurban.

Where am I headed? That for the future we need to ensure that we have a properly integrated transport system, within and without Wiltshire. The world does not stop at Salisbury in the south, nor at Swindon in the North. We need to be looking at Links - TransWilts and beyond. Look at the congestion maps, look at the time that bus services take, and the logical backbone becomes the "TransWilts" railway line ... but it's only the backbone. The backbone needs arms and legs attached to it - so we're looking not so much at "TransWilts" but at "TransWilts Link", with the majority of journeys being made not on just a train on the Swindon to Salisbury line, but beyond as well.

Here's the first of several - first draft - "TransWilts Link" maps. This one is showing rail connections that are logically useful as a part of journeys that involve the TransWilts.

Which lines and stations to include is very disputable; I've taken an educated guess at ... here are some thoughts:

My intent is to show connections / journeys / stations that would be most popular off the TransWilts trains. Tempted (but resisted) lines to Exmouth, Barnstaple, Henley, Marlow, etc ... realistically not a huge number of through journeys / potential relative to a complex map. Or could thay be added in faded grey?

I'm really not sure how vital ferries are - I was shocked as to how poor the links were and how few passengers there were at Poole, Portsmouth, Birkenhaed and Belfast in the last few months and wonder if we push those as a major selling point we're showing that we're a bit out of date. Discussion Point. To Channel Islands / Isle or Wight - different matter?

Here is a connection map - "version 0.9" if you like, as it's an early illustrative sketch - for Chippenham. The railway's shown in black, and there are think black lines from the station to places in walking distance for the typical traveler, and thicker blue lines for connecting bus services. Services shown are as at present and I've indicated those which are through the day / reasonable frequent.

Highlighted in yellow are major toens for which Chippenham is the railhead - that's Corsham, Malmesbury and Calne. It could be argued that I should have extended the Lacock line to Melksham, and branched off from Bowood to Devizes. There's also teh question as to whether the Calne line should carry on to Lyneham and Wootton Bassett.

Red markers show leisure / tourist spots. Areas of the town are also show circled - Rowden, Monkton Park, Cepen Park, Pewsham and Bumper's Farm.

Redrawn / printed with finer type as per the diagram above, further information could be added to this diagram; in the future, routes and links to information could usefully be added too

(written 2010-12-30, updated 2011-01-03)

Associated topics are indexed as below, or enter http://melksh.am/nnnn for individual articles

Z501 - Public Transport - Rail[4770] GW franchise - my response - (2018-02-20)[4765] Breich Station - current pictures, and future options - (2017-10-11)[4764] Some thoughts on the closure proposal for Breich station - (2017-10-11)[4760] Rotary Talk, 25/7/2017 - (2017-07-25)[4727] Learning from travelling further afield - (2016-11-09)[4726] TransWilts Partner Update for Melksham Area Board - (2016-11-07)[4706] Melksham trial train service is to be made permanent - (2016-10-02)[4699] Melksham Rail Development Group - a celebration of 20 years - (2016-06-25)[4695] Melksham Rail Development Group becoming Melksham Rail Users Group - (2016-06-21)[4688] Melksham Station - as at May 2016 - Part 5 (services and prices) - (2016-05-30)[4687] Melksham Station - as at May 2016 - Part 4 - (2016-05-30)[4686] Melksham Station - as at May 2016 - Part 3 - (2016-05-29)[4685] Melksham Station - as at May 2016 - Part 2 - (2016-05-29)[4684] Melksham Station - as at May 2016 - Part 1 - (2016-05-28)[4677] Swindon, Chippenham and Melksham - day trips by train to Weymouth start for 2016 - (2016-05-18)[4665] Chippenham to Salisbury by public transport - what we have and what we could have - (2016-03-26)[4640] Who was Doctor Beeching and what was his axe? - (2016-02-06)[4636] Rail user groups worried about what is happening on the buses - (2016-01-31)[4623] Rambling from Westbury - (2016-01-16)[4612] TransWilts - robust these days - no longer the first service to be cancelled - (2016-01-03)[4598] 21 places to get your train and bus timetables for TransWilts - (2015-12-19)[4596] Call for help counting passengers - TransWilts, 12th to 14th December - (2015-12-10)[4578] Rail electrification - far, far too optimistic so over budget and late - (2015-11-20)[4539] TransWilts public transport corridor - (2015-10-15)[4515] Why has the hourly Chippenham to Trowbridge train been withdrawn? - (2015-09-24)[4512] The Weymouth Wizard - Saturdays in August from Wiltshire - (2015-07-31)[4511] The Royal Albert Bridge as you do not normally see it - (2015-07-12)[4496] Sunday train times - 17th May to 6th September 2015 - (2015-05-17)[4495] Swindon to Westbury train services - Saturdays from 23rd May 2015 - (2015-05-17)[4486] Newark to New York - the PATH suburban railway - (2015-05-05)[4478] Home in Melksham to Gatwick Airport - easy by public transport - (2015-04-29)[4475] New car park at Melksham Station - ideal for commuters from Seend, Hilperton, Yarnbrook and Holt - (2015-04-26)[4473] Fishguard to Melksham - third part of Dublin journey - (2015-04-25)[4471] Leopardstown to Rosslare by train - (2015-04-23)[4467] Neighbourhood Plan - travel and transport thoughts - (2015-03-29)[4464] Catching up on a week all in a single post (?) - (2015-03-21)[4425] A Welsh valley - what the transport looks like in 2015 - (2015-02-14)[4397] TransWilts / Press and Publicity report for AGM / 30th January 2015 - (2015-01-17)[4378] What FGW passengers want to talk about / and PHP programming to find out - (2015-01-01)[4367] A year of rail memories! - (2014-12-27)[4365] The changing face of Christmas - (2014-12-26)[4353] Celebration pictures, year 1 - (2014-12-15)[4352] A long day on the trains, but a rewarding one - (2014-12-14)[4342] My first official measure - Passenger Entrys and Exits - revisited 9 years later - (2014-12-05)[4312] Officially overcrowded in the first year - (2014-11-15)[4306] Four time target - good news. Four time prediction - poor forecasting. - (2014-09-26)[4289] It may be cheaper to buy in bulk - (2014-07-15)[4276] Swindon to Weymouth - by train, the traditional way - 2014 - (2014-05-12)[4269] Survey - Journeys - (2014-04-28)[4268] Metrics - historic and current TransWilts train use - (2014-04-27)[4267] How effective is our publicity? - (2014-04-26)[4263] Chippenham - Melksham - Trowbridge, public transport over Easter (2014) - (2014-04-12)[4256] Train fare look expensive? There may be a cheaper option - (2014-04-02)[4253] Easter Weeks - Melksham to Weymouth - (2014-04-02)[4252] Staveton Halt, former station between Trowbridge and Melksham - (2014-03-25)[4251] Broughton Gifford Halt, TransWilts Railway Line - (2014-03-24)[4250] Lacock Halt - former TransWilts Station - (2014-03-23)[4238] A Question series posed to Melksham Tourist information - (2014-01-19)[4226] Saturday train to Swindon - two weeks in - (2013-12-21)[4224] TransWilts - first day pictures - (2013-12-18)[4219] TransWilts train services - up from 2 to 8 per day - (2013-12-09)[4218] A THANK YOU to those who have brought the new train service to fruition - (2013-12-06)[4217] New train service - launch plans and timetable links - (2013-12-03)[4216] Los Angeles - post modern transport system - (2013-11-27)[4202] Excellent Railfuture conference, but some setup lessons - (2013-11-03)[4199] Draft Westbury - Melksham - Swindon train times, from December 2014 - (2013-10-24)[4196] Official - Trowbridge and Melksham to London train improvements - (2013-10-22)[4195] Booking for Santa, Melksham Railway Development Group, 8th December 2013 - (2013-10-21)[4194] TransWilts Link - meeting notes from 19th October - (2013-10-20)[4191] Getting people to and from Melksham Station - not 20 but 700 times a day - (2013-10-12)[4190] A radical proposal - a cheap and effective way to provide home to city commuter transport - (2013-10-11)[4185] TransWilts Trains - running a successful campaign talk - (2013-10-05)[4176] International and off island travel from Melksham - (2013-09-16)[4173] Train and Rail Travel - who runs it and where do I ask questions? - (2013-09-13)[4163] TransWilts Community Rail Partnership - formally constituted - (2013-09-01)[4160] Bank Holiday Monday - pictures of a great train trip to Weymouth - (2013-08-27)[4159] People WILL walk to the station in Melksham, but they need a path and trains - (2013-08-25)[4154] August Bank Holiday - day out from Melksham to London or Weymouth - (2013-08-20)[4150] Melksham Regular Public Transport Map - as at August 2013 - (2013-08-09)[4148] Special General Meeting, Adoption of Constitution for TransWilts Community Rail Partnership - (2013-08-01)[4146] A few more trains means a LOT more passengers. Why? - (2013-07-30)[4142] Passenger survey at Chippenham - report and pictures - (2013-07-24)[4131] West Coast (of Wales) - railway and stations in pictures - (2013-07-04)[4113] Wiltshire and Melksham Transport - what is going on? - (2013-06-09)[4110] TransWilts meeting ... - (2013-06-07)[4105] Our day trip by train from Swindon, Chippenham and Melksham to Weymouth - (2013-05-28)[4104] Weymouth vis the TransWilts - the day out today - (2013-05-27)[4080] Fancy a day at the seaside? Weymouth from Melksham - (2013-05-06)[4040] Report on the last year - Melksham Railway Developement Group for Melksham Without Parish Council - (2013-03-11)[4022] A request for all of Melksham transport groups to work integrated - (2013-03-01)[3995] Onward from Brussels - (2013-02-04)[3994] On board Eurostar - a running commentary - (2013-02-04)[3993] Two trains a day ... how many fares to London? Guess! - (2013-02-04)[3986] Rail services in Wiltshire - up in the air? We need to say what is best required. - (2013-01-20)[3942] Santa Trip - Melksham Railway Development Group, 2012 - (2012-12-03)[3938] A long overdue meeting - a steeping stone towards coordinate transport user inputs - (2012-12-02)[3937] Agenda for Wiltshire Link Travel groups meeting, Saturday 1st December 2012 - (2012-11-27)[3923] 35 minutes is only a slight delay on our railway service - (2012-11-15)[3904] Want to help us improve transport in Wiltshire? Here is how! - (2012-10-26)[3899] Father Christmas to be on train in Melksham - (2012-10-19)[3893] Public Transport across Wiltshire - a new map - (2012-10-13)[3890] Here comes Santa - on the train from Melksham to Swindon on 2nd December 2012 - (2012-10-13)[3882] Community Transport - Pewsey, Taunton, and the whole picture too - (2012-10-06)[3881] Wiltshire Public Transport User Group co-ordination - (2012-10-05)[3879] Mixed mode travel - Information systems - (2012-10-03)[3873] Henbury loop, Bristol - a freight railway line with passenger potential? - (2012-09-29)[3872] Trains across Wiltshire - an update on the TransWilts - (2012-09-28)[3860] Melksham to Steam in Swindon, by train - great day out - (2012-09-16)[3826] TransWilts trains - what the next franchise period will bring - (2012-08-04)[3815] The Melksham News - July 2012 - Part 2, TransWilts Rail, Wilts and Berks Canal - (2012-07-23)[3804] Scenes from commuting by train - (2012-07-14)[3802] What a difference a year makes - (2012-07-10)[3795] Like a bathroom company with no plumbers - (2012-07-04)[3793] Excellent Rail News - what it really means - (2012-07-01)[3786] Improving Wiltshire Rail Offer - it WILL be happening - (2012-06-28)[3784] Steam train calls at Melksham - Pictures - (2012-06-26)[3765] Christmas in June? Melksham hotel bookings and Santa train - (2012-06-15)[3761] Melksham - placed 2254 out of 2255. What can be done about it? - (2012-06-11)[3736] Abstraction - (2012-05-19)[3728] The future needs for rail services to Melksham - change needed; current service an insult - (2012-05-11)[3699] Bristol 50? Bristol 25? - (2012-04-17)[3671] Future train services in Wiltshire - please write in to support a better service - (2012-03-24)[3668] Kings Cross - new concourse - between Python in Cambridge and Objective C in London - (2012-03-22)[3642] Wiltshire Travel Times - Chippenham, Trowbridge, Salisbury and other places too - (2012-03-07)[3631] Getting around Dublin by public transport - some observations - (2012-03-01)[3626] There is so much to see travelling by train - (2012-02-26)[3601] Rail Travel - has it become more unreliable? - (2012-02-02)[3579] Transport in Cambridgeshire - seen by an outside observer. What can Wiltshire learn? - (2012-01-15)[3565] What would an appropriate train service on the TransWilts line mean - (2011-12-31)[3564] I wish I was not a special case - (2011-12-29)[3550] Provide a useable train service, and people will use it! - (2011-12-11)[3538] Santa Train - another successful trip - 4th December 2011 - (2011-12-04)[3501] Santa Claus - on the train from Melksham on 4th December 2011 - (2011-10-30)[3493] West Wilts Rail User Group - Walk yesterday from Bradford-on-Avon to Trowbridge - (2011-10-23)[3487] Public transport - road and rail - (2011-10-19)[3486] How important is public transport to people in the Melksham area? - (2011-10-19)[3452] Which or ATOC - who reads train fares right? - (2011-09-22)[3434] Sundays - and over eating - (2011-09-11)[3410] A review of the Summer Sunday extra trains on the TransWilts line - (2011-08-29)[3408] Journey home by public transport for a Bank Holiday - (2011-08-27)[3403] Last chance this summer - Swindon and North Wiltshire to Weymouth by through train - (2011-08-22)[3392] What costs 8.20 from Melksham, or 22.30 via Chippenham? - (2011-08-14)[3378] New product - ensuring that supply matches demand - (2011-08-03)[3371] From Wiltshire to Weymouth on Sundays - (2011-07-27)[3370] Standing Challenge - (2011-07-26)[3364] Dogs Legs on the Dogleg - (2011-07-20)[3362] Swindon, Chippenham and Melksham to Weymouth - Sunday Train Service Starts - (2011-07-19)[3336] Efficient travel - from Melsksham to Edinburgh by Sleeper Train - (2011-06-26)[3331] Comparing Alloa and Melksham - stations and services - (2011-06-23)[3328] Summer Sundays - days out by train from Swindon on the TransWilts - (2011-06-18)[3318] Summer Sunday Trains - outings from Swindon, Chippenham, Melksham, Trowbridge and Westbury - (2011-06-05)[3274] Small scale improvement - big scale gain. And they CAN be done with local knowledge - (2011-05-02)[3273] Wanted - a look to the future - (2011-05-02)[3198] TransWilts rail - coming together, wanted and needed - (2011-03-10)[3187] Past and Present - Melksham Station - (2011-02-27)[3178] The cost of roadworks on the economy of our town - 1800 pounds per hour? - (2011-02-20)[3176] Comparing German, Dutch and British Railways - (2011-02-19)[3171] Train and boat journey - the passenger accommodation - (2011-02-15)[3167] Can I take my dog by train? And other questions - (2011-02-12)[3161] TransWilts rail - what picture represents us - (2011-02-08)[3141] Wiltshire Rail services - a golden opportunity - (2011-01-21)[3135] A time to be brave? We should ask for what is best for our area. - (2011-01-16)[3119] TransWilts - some things to see and do - (2011-01-03)[3113] Trowbridge and Melksham to Chippenham - more roadworks, even slower journey over the winter - (2010-12-30)[3111] TransWilts Link - Days out from Swindon to Weymouth? - (2010-12-28)[3080] Santa Special - rather more special than usual - December 2010 - (2010-12-07)[3079] TransWilts Rail News ... Melksham (Santa Special) Edition ... 5th December 2010 - (2010-12-04)[3033] Rail services back to Radstock? - (2010-11-07)[3031] Get all your ducks in a row ... and they may turn into swans - (2010-11-06)[3017] Seventh day traveller on the six day railway - (2010-10-27)[3006] Santa announcement, 5th December 2010, Melksham - (2010-10-20)[2982] Travel, Transport and Tourism - A vision for Melksham, 2026 - (2010-10-03)[2955] Melksham Railway Station - new information point - (2010-09-13)[2954] Railway meetings, trips and meetups this autumn - (2010-09-12)[2931] Syncronise - software, trains, and buses. Please! - (2010-08-22)[2930] Walk - Tilehurst to Pangborne - (2010-08-21)[2919] London to Calne, Corsham, Melksham, Bradford-on-Avon, Chippenham by public Transport - (2010-08-13)[2908] How Green is my train? - (2010-08-07)[2901] Ambassador or Anorak? - (2010-08-03)[2855] Train Services - Melksham to Bath and Bristol (and airport) - (2010-07-05)[2808] From home to Nurnberg - journey pictures - (2010-06-13)[2696] Garlic bread without garlic - (2010-03-27)[2678] Reaching out to the community - a good case for support - (2010-03-15)[2664] Oliver Cromwell at Bristol Temple Meads - (2010-03-06)[2662] Is Melksham public transport actually used? - (2010-03-05)[2658] Save the Train - a significant change in approach - (2010-03-03)[2634] London to and from Melksham by public transport - (2010-02-13)[2627] Saturdays out from Melksham - to Oxford, to Didcot or to Swindon - (2010-02-07)[2626] On Malachite Green - (2010-02-06)[2568] Forums for your Melksham and open source discussions - (2010-01-09)[2557] Rail Campaign - response to core consultation - (2009-12-31)[2556] Railway Station Survey - please complete today or tomorrow - (2009-12-30)[2533] Five guests, three groups, one car - (2009-12-11)[2529] Santa Special, 2009 - (2009-12-06)[2522] Integrated public Transport - what could be done for Melksham - (2009-12-01)[2513] Wiltshire Council purchases Melksham Station Land - (2009-11-26)[2511] The story of the railway land at Melksham Station - (2009-11-24)[2486] Santa Special - Trowbridge and Melksham to Swindon - (2009-10-31)[2477] By train ... - (2009-10-25)[2473] Exploring Old Railways - (2009-10-24)[2457] Railway Arithmetic - (2009-10-16)[2438] Listening to The Minister - (2009-10-05)[2395] From Lymington by train - last of the slammers - (2009-09-05)[2391] Great Western Route Utilisation Strategy - Draft for Consultation - (2009-09-02)[2372] Public Transport from (and to) Melksham on Sundays - (2009-08-23)[2328] Melksham - no trains, no southbound buses through the town - (2009-08-08)[2318] For Lua Programmers AND for Town Planners - (2009-08-02)[2268] Westbury Bypass Refused - looking forward - (2009-07-04)[2133] Bigger and better this year! - (2009-04-20)[2057] Train and Coach fares from London (and airports) to Melksham - (2009-02-26)[2042] Wiltshire Rail Service Update - (2009-02-15)[2026] Melksham Climate Friendly Group - (2009-02-05)[2024] Carry on Training - in spite of the weather - (2009-02-03)[1999] How low can you sink? - (2009-01-17)[1966] Background to the TransWilts Train Fiasco - (2008-12-29)[1965] How much does a train service actually cost - (2008-12-29)[1964] Why hasnt the fiasco been put right - (2008-12-29)[1905] A Gold Star for First Great Western Customer Service - (2008-11-24)[1858] Camera with night vision, youth with no vision - (2008-10-28)[1848] 30th November - Santa Trip from Melksham - (2008-10-19)[1757] Preserved railways - struggling to the future? - (2008-08-17)[1729] Back from the future - (2008-07-30)[1708] A Train Service Update for Melksham Party in the Park - (2008-07-13)[1616] Not daring to be an anorak - (2008-04-19)[1567] Melksham - Swindon. Train v Bus v Car - (2008-03-07)[1558] Getting somewhere with the train service - (2008-02-28)[1530] Railway Acronyms and Abbreviations - (2008-02-03)[1452] Santa on the train to Melksham - (2007-12-01)[1428] Travel Across Wiltshire - the game - (2007-11-11)[1424] Closer than you think - the next step - (2007-11-08)[1382] First Great Western - information for customers - (2007-10-07)[1358] Look forward with a new broom - Wiltshire Train Service - (2007-09-19)[1314] Business travel by train in the USA - (2007-08-22)[1303] Heading Upstate New York - (2007-08-14)[1291] Day trip to Weymouth - (2007-08-05)[1274] Radio coverage for railway issues - (2007-07-23)[1273] Melksham or Weymouth? Meal or day out? - (2007-07-23)[1228] Some progress on the train campaign - (2007-06-10)[1139] Overcrowded trains around Bristol - (2007-04-08)[1097] Train and business balls all in the air! - (2007-03-02)[1093] Wiltshire Train - can YOU come on 5th March? - (2007-02-25)[1076] Save the Train - an update - (2007-02-12)[1069] Rail trouble forced me to buy hotel - (2007-02-07)[1063] Bradford-on-Avon - 150 years of passenger trains - (2007-02-03)[1045] Bang! Train campaign hits home - (2007-01-19)[1044] Call for appropriate train services - Swindon, Bristol, Bath, West Wilts, Severn Beach etc - (2007-01-18)[1033] Empty at Easleigh, Missing at Melksham, Overflowing at Oldfield - (2007-01-14)[976] Santa at the station - (2006-12-09)[974] The last commuter train through Melksham - (2006-12-09)[952] Coming from London to Melksham by train for a course - (2006-11-28)[877] Yes, but what do we do now?? - (2006-09-24)[814] Melksham Railway Calendar 2007 - (2006-07-25)[803] Not shouting - (2006-07-16)[790] Shadow Transport Minister to visit Melksham - (2006-07-02)[697] For any North and West Wilts and Swindon Readers - (2006-04-23)[688] Are you free on Friday evening? - (2006-04-18)[648] West Wilts Railway Users Group and trains to Lacock - (2006-03-16)[634] Real chance to make a difference - (2006-03-05)[632] Moral dilemma - (2006-03-04)[527] Greater Western Franchise Awarded - (2005-12-13)[524] Santa comes to Melksham - (2005-12-11)[521] Proof needed? Please just use common sense! - (2005-12-08)[488] Looking for railway groups and users - Swindon, Salisbury, Southampton - (2005-11-06)[486] Rail services under threat - Swindon, Melksham ... and Newquay and Bicester too - (2005-11-05)[447] Tomorrow's meeting. - (2005-09-19)[434] Through public transport connection, Chippenham to Salisbury, to cease - (2005-09-02)[428] Swindon - Chippenham - Melksham - Trowbridge - Westbury train service - (2005-08-29)[154] Railway train service, Melksham station - (2004-12-17)

This is a page archived from The Horse's Mouth at
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